Financial Bliss with Kelley Long

It is human nature to compare ourselves to others, particularly when we are wondering whether or not we measure up. And for the most part, these types of comparisons cause us to feel like we are falling short in some way.

In this episode, Kelley Long, financial coach and money mindset advocate, shares a research-backed way that we can use comparison to actually boost the way we feel about ourselves and our lives that can ultimately lead to better financial behaviors that are in support of your own personal life goals and values.

It's true that comparison is the thief of joy. Except in this one instance. Give it a listen to learn more!

Visit the episode page here.

This episode is all about self-exploration to uncover the root cause of financial anxieties. When we have a better understanding of our own origin stories and how they are showing up for us today, we can really accelerate any changes we’d like to make to our mindset and our behaviors, around money: how we earn it, how we spend it, how we save it, how we avoid it, etc.

Grab a pen and a journal, and settle in for an exercise that will have you re-thinking your assumptions about money "truths" based on who you are today, versus who you were when the beliefs were formed. Enjoy!

Full episode site here.

Get a breakdown of ALL the options you might want to explore before deciding what to do with your old 401k plan.

This episode explores the pros and cons of each of the 4 options available while also touching on related retirement and tax rules at play, including:

- The rule of 55

- Net-unrealized appreciation rules for company stock

- Why a rollover IRA might be a choice you regret

- Where to go for more help making this decision

Resources to support the topics discussed:

How to do a backdoor Roth IRA

How Are Financial Coaches Different From Financial Planners, CPAs & Financial Advisors?

Whether your goal this year is to pay off debt, reach a new savings level or achieve a specific financial-related goal, it's easy to lose motivation if working toward that goal also requires you to make trade-offs or change habits that you enjoy or are really used to.

The main reason people lose motivation toward these types of goals is because they are actually tasks that need to be completed in pursuit of a greater, more exciting and rewarding goal.

In this episode, Kelley Long, your fairy financial coach, gets into the reasons you may be struggling to stick with new habits you set to support your money goals and offers insight into how to reframe what you want so that you can push through and stay on track.

Listen for her unpopular take on emergency funds, how she personally overcame debt more than once in her life and how to keep yourself accountable to the intentions you set, even when the excitement wears off.

We all carry several money beliefs, or money scripts as they are called in the financial therapy world, and those underlying beliefs influence the way we not only behave with money, but the way we make decisions in our lives.

This episode dives into three that are commonly seen among clients who work in the Financial Bliss framework, along with tips to update those beliefs to be supportive of the life you wish to live into.

Ever try a new budgeting tool and experience initial success, but then quickly slip back into old habits after a month or two? 

The reason so many of us struggle with changing our financial habits and situations, even when we end up making more money, is partly because there’s not a simple, one-size-fits-all solution. After all, if it were easy you’d already be doing it! 

To change a financial cycle or habit for good, you need to first change your mindset. Once you’ve changed your mindset, the changes in your daily practices flow with greater ease. 

Famed psychologist and one of the founders of neuro-linguistic programming philosophy (NLP), Robert Dilts, identifies six steps that can lead to achieving change: environment, behaviors, capabilities, values and beliefs, identity, and purpose. 

By applying insights from Dilts’ Six Logical Levels of Change to your financial practices, you can develop new learned behaviors and achieve your money goals — not just temporarily, but for the long haul, too. 

Listen to this episode to learn:

Shame has an impressive ability to rear its ugly head when it comes to money. Many of us experience money shame for a myriad of reasons: budgeting pitfalls, too much debt, not enough savings, or a failure to attain certain markers that are viewed as evidence of success, like buying a home or starting a family. 

But shame has the power to keep us in a cycle of wildly unhelpful self-talk. 

Many people aspire to develop healthier money habits but struggle to change their behaviors. Instead, they hit a shame-engulfed wall. Breaking through requires the removal of shame and self-judgment.  

By asking the right questions and exploring our deeper, underlying values and opinions about money and its role in our lives, we’re able to push past our psychological barriers and start making real change toward finding financial bliss. 

Listen to this episode to learn: 

• The difference between guilt and shame and how both can feed your relationship with money
• The importance of asking yourself ‘why’ you value certain money habits over others
• The first step you can take to remove shame from your relationship with money

Read more...

What does the Serenity Prayer have to do with achieving financial bliss? For Kelley C. Long, CPA/PFS, CFP®, quite a lot.  

If you’ve ever experienced financial hardship that wasn’t your fault, you’re not alone. Even the most careful and diligent individuals can become victims of their circumstances, enduring things in life that put pressure on their pocketbooks. The end of a romantic relationship, a flooded basement, the loss of a job — regardless of causality, it’s your responsibility to decide how to pick up the pieces and move forward. 

No matter how much you plan and save and invest your finances, things happen that will be out of your control. It’s what you do in the aftermath that dictates whether you flounder or thrive. 

Listen to this episode to learn: 

Why taking responsibility is the path forward (regardless of causality) 

Why procrastination compounds your financial hardships 

How anger can inform future financial decision making

How overreliance on preventative strategies hinders you from living your best life

For more, visit the episode webpage here.

You pay all your bills on time, you've either paid off your debt or have a plan in place to do so and you are looking at what's next, but there are so many options. How do you know which to tackle first?

The truth is, there is no definitive answer that works for everyone, which is why Kelley Long, financial coach and podcast host, created a checklist called the Post-Debt Life Checklist to get it all down on paper so you can prioritize according to your own life and goals.

In this episode, Kelley goes over the specifics of two of the items on that list, including an in-depth analysis of her own spending and how you can do the same. Download your copy of the checklist at financialblisscoach.com/checklist, then listen along so you can get started on the next steps in your journey to financial bliss.

Putting money away for retirement can seem like a serious commitment, which it typically is due to rules around early withdrawal penalties and other abilities to tap your savings before your age 59 1/2.

In this episode, Kelley C. Long offers 4 reasons that one particular type of retirement savings account offers more flexibility than you might think when contributing your hard-earned money. Check it out to learn the often-misunderstood rules so you can make the best decisions for your finances without the fear of losing access until you're almost 60.

Resources to support the information presented in this episode:

3 strategic uses for Roth IRAs beyond retirement

The ins and outs of Roth IRAs for children

Pros and cons of the backdoor Roth IRA